Hershey

unincorporated community within Derry township, Dauphin county, south-central Pennsylvania, U.S. It is situated 12 miles (19 km) east of Harrisburg. The community was founded in 1903 by the entrepreneur Milton Snavely Hershey around Derry Church as the site for his chocolate factory. In 1909 he established a vocational school, now called the Milton Hershey School, and, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, he financed the construction of a community centre, a hotel, and a sports arena there. The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is the site of Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine. The Pennsylvania State Police Academy is also located in Hershey. The manufacture of chocolate products by the Hershey Foods Corporation remains the chief industry, although the community also has become a resort area with a theme park, botanical gardens, a sports arena, a zoo, and a number of golf courses. Pop. (1990) 11,860; (2000) 12,771.